31 Horror Movies to Get You in the Halloween Spirit

Halloween has been my favorite holiday and season ever since I was fairly young. The air is getting cooler, even in Texas, and everyone starts thinking about who or what they are going to dress up as for the holiday — if they haven’t already decided and been working on their costumes for several weeks already.

In the past few decades there have been some fantastic horror movies, as well as some fantastically horrible ones. To help get you into the ‘spirit’ of the month and help you avoid some stinkers, I thought I’d go over some of the best movies designed to put a scare into us.

A Scary Movie For Every Night in October

The Shining – Set the mood right from the start with Jack Nicholson’s classic performance.

Night of the Living Dead – They’re coming for you! The original brain eaters definitely hold up over time and this is perfect for late night viewing.

Alien – The 1979 classic had us jumping out of our seats and gave us the memorable tagline “In space, no one can hear you scream.”

Poltergeist – “They’re here” has never been said creepier and this timeless classic is perfect for the Halloween season.

Don’t Breathe – This modern entry instantly became a favorite of my horror collection. The overall premise is fresh and the ending will make anyone cringe.

The Cabin in the Woods – This is must-see, especially if you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing this fun and clever movie.

Drag Me to Hell – Sam Raimi returned to horror with a bang. This is a tense ride with unexpected twists that perfectly fit with your month of horror.

Saw – The one that started it all and gives a twist ending that no one saw coming. The tension is palpable throughout the entire movie and even if you’ve seen it before, it’s time for a rewatch.

28 Days Later – We’ve always had a couple of advantages when it comes to battling zombies but this flick takes away one of the best. You can’t outrun these zombies and you’ll be drawn in from the opening scene to the last.

American Psycho – This is a wild ride that has plenty of gore and is another one with a twisted ending that makes the weirdness of the story worth it.

The Exorcist – This one was responsible for scaring the living hell out of millions of people worldwide on its release — People actually fainted from shock!

Scream – The Ghost Face killer spawned a handful of decent sequels but the first is almost always the best. Full ofjump-scares, this whodunit is worth a yearly viewing.

Psycho – Norman will always be a classic and this Hitchcock masterpiece should be on everyone’s Halloween list. Another perfect one for late night viewing.

Psycho II – This sequel came quite awhile after the original and while Hitchcock wasn’t alive to be involved, Anthony Perkins owns Norman and brings him back to the screen perfectly.

Se7en – While this could arguably fit into categories outside of the horror genre, Se7en is creepy and evil in a way that will be perfect for your Halloween viewing.

Friday the 13th – One of the kings of the slasher flicks, the freshman entry of this long running franchise is always worth a watch.

Friday the 13th Part 2 – Jason makes his actual debut in this sequel that picks up right where the first one left off and while he is sans hockey mask, Jason is one person you don’t want to meet in the woods.

The Evil Dead – A cult classic that mixes a good amount of laughs with the scares and spawned a franchise that is still going strong today.

Evil Dead II – Ash is back and so are those evil dead bastards! More laughs and plenty of scares makes this a definite Halloween watch.

Pet Sematary – I both hate and love this movie. No matter how many times I see it, Gage’s death tears me apart and I don’t think any child actor has ever creeped me out more. The upcoming remake has a lot to live up to.

Christine – While we’re on the master of horror himself, Stephen King’s Christine is a classic that too many often forget about. Do yourself a favor and ensure you watch this one this year.

A Nightmare on Elm Street – “One, Two, Freddy’s coming for you.” That red and green sweater has haunted plenty of nightmares over the years and adding this one to the list is a no-brainer.

Videodrome – This 80’s classic was ahead of its time and James Wood’s performance is downright spot-on.

Candyman – Whether it was ‘Bloody Mary’ or ‘Candyman,’ many of us have stood in the dark looking at the mirror and repeating the desire name. This movie explores what happens when they answer the call.

In the Mouth of Madness – John Carpenter makes the list with this unique story that will likely haunt you for hours afterwards. Carpenter is the master for a reason.

Matthew is a sponge... well he's trying to change that definition anyway. Attempting to absorb a little bit of everything, especially the odd and just plain WTH kind of stuff, chances are he knows at least a little something about it.
He enjoys picking on his soon-to-be-infamous Granddaughter 'Bug' and when he isn't busy raising her, he enjoys evenings at home with his pack of dogs and his girlfriend... not always in that order.